There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains a major public health problem. It is the fourth leading cause of chronic morbidity and mortality in the United States, and is projected to rank fifth in 2020 in burden of disease worldwide, according to a study published by the World Bank/World Health Organization. Yet, COPD remains relatively unknown or ignored by the public as well as public health and government officials. In 1998, in an effort to bring more attention to COPD, its management, and its prevention, a committed group of scientists encouraged the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the World Health Organization to form the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). Among the important objectives of GOLD are to increase awareness of COPD and to help the millions of people who suffer from this disease and die prematurely of it or its complications. The first step in the GOLD program was to prepare a consensus report, Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of COPD, published in 2001. The present, newly revised document follows the same format as the original consensus report, but has been updated to reflect the many publications on COPD that have appeared. GOLD national leaders, a network of international experts, have initiated investigations of the causes and prevalence of COPD in their countries, and developed innovative approaches for the dissemination and implementation of COPD management guidelines. We appreciate the enormous amount of work the GOLD national leaders have done on behalf of their patients with COPD. Despite the achievements in the 5 years since the GOLD report was originally published, considerable additional work is ahead of us if we are to control this major public health problem. The GOLD initiative will continue to bring COPD to the attention of governments, public health officials, health care workers, and the general public, but a concerted effort by all involved in health care will be necessary.

https://www.who.int/respiratory/copd/GOLD_WR_06.pdf

Global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: GOLD executive summary.

Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(12)61728-0.pdf

Global and regional mortality from 235 causes of death for 20 age groups in 1990 and 2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(12)61766-8.pdf

A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010

HIV Risk-Taking Behaviour Scale

We Help Ourselves (WHOS) was one of the first therapeutic communities established for the treatment of drug-related problems in Australia, commencing operation in 1972. Since that time, a number of changes have occurred in location, program format and emphasis, although its philosophy has always remained the same

https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/ndarc/resources/TR.014.pdf

Who's who? A report on the characteristics of clients seen at We Help Ourselves 1985-1991

Abstract Background and aim The prevalence of tobacco smoking has declined in most high‐income countries, while cannabis use has been rising. Moreover, cannabis use has been found to have increased among cigarette smokers in recent years in jurisdictions where it has been either decriminalized or legalized. This study measured trends in cannabis, tobacco and the co‐use of cannabis and tobacco in Australia. Design Age–period–cohort analysis. Setting and participants Participants were n = 143 344 individuals aged 18–80 years who participated in Australia's National Drug Strategy Household Surveys (NDSHS) between 2001 and 2019. Measurements Regular (weekly/more frequently): (1) tobacco smoking only, (2) cannabis use only and (3) the co‐use of cannabis and tobacco. Findings Prevalence of only smoking tobacco decreased in all age groups (P < 0.001) and birth cohorts between 2001 and 2019, but the co‐use of cannabis and tobacco did not. Younger cohorts were much less likely to co‐use tobacco and cannabis (P = 0.02). Period trends showed that both cannabis use only and the co‐use of cannabis and tobacco have increased since 2013. Conclusion There has been a consistent decrease in exclusive tobacco smoking across age, period and birth cohorts between 2001 and 2019 in Australia, although there is a recent increasing period trend in cannabis use with or without tobacco. The non‐decreasing trend of co‐use may reflect the strong tobacco control policies introduced over the period and changing attitudes towards cannabis use in Australia.

Age–period–cohort analysis of trends in tobacco smoking, cannabis use, and their co‐use in the Australian population

The 1980s and 1990s have witnessed a worldwide epidemic of heroin addiction, and countries around the world have moved to put in place opiate replacement therapy programs to deal with this problem. While most of these programs use methadone as a substitute drug of choice, most recently, buprenorphine, LAAM (levo acetyl methadol), and heroin have been employed for this purpose. A comprehensive guide to the use of drug substitution in the treatment of opiate dependence, this handbook provides an up-to-date account of treatment research and practice in this growing area. As well as answering questions about the status of this class of interventions in terms of their demonstrated effectiveness, it also includes detailed discussions of assessment issues, appropriate dosage regimes, the role of ancillary social and psychosocial services, the use of opiate replacement therapy in prisons, optimal treatment during pregnancy, and the cost-effectiveness of this form of treatment. This book will be of int

Wayne Hall

Papers

HIV Risk-Taking Behaviour Scale

Who's who? A report on the characteristics of clients seen at We Help Ourselves 1985-1991

Age–period–cohort analysis of trends in tobacco smoking, cannabis use, and their co‐use in the Australian population

The effectiveness of methadone treatment 2: HIV and infectious hepatitis

The Indian Hemp Drugs Commission 1893–1894